LO4 M4: Explain what metadata is?

What is the difference between EXIF data and IPTC metadata? 

EXIF data deals with the technical side of taking photos, such as what equipment was used and the settings the user uses as well, whereas IPTC focuses on content of the images, together with their status with regards to ownership and licenses. One difference is that IPTC data needs to be manual added to am imagine, however EXIF data is already added due to it giving information on what settings were used to create the image. Although, it is possible to add IPTC data manually this could become inefficient for the photographer just because the photographer will be taking pictures of many different things and some may end up being the same scene. The most current IPTC data is split into two schemas; IPTC core and IPTC extension, while these are two different they do cover these three types of properties: administrative, descriptive and information relating to rights. 

IPTC Core 

When looking at IPTC core it depends on the software you use to view and edit information, you could see it split up into four different sections, contract, image, content and status. The fields that are within the four sections allow the user to add details such as keywords, headlines and descriptions, this is all together with the city and specific location of an image's capture. Information on the image's creator, such as their name, address, job title, contact number. This can also be appended in individual fields, as can specific instructions on copyright and usage. 

IPTC Extension 

The IPTC extension fields largely concern images that include people in them. People in an image can be named, and details of their age and status on their model release may also be specified here. Many of the other fields allow you to specify the origins of the image, this includes: film navigate, scan, digital and etc. Together with its maximum available width and height, in addition to other details. 

Why is it useful? 

The International Press Telecommunications Council (IPTC) has stated that its mission is to simplify the distribution of information. And while Exif data gives us a good idea of how an image was taken, it then becomes are hard to keep track of exactly what the image contains and how it can be used unless a more complete picture of its origins and content is embedded within the file. It is now clear that, when used properly, IPTC metadata can be a powerful tool for a range of organisations when it comes too many aspects of image management, for basic categorisation and discoverability. 

Example of IPTC Metadata in my work